Servicing tool for barrel-type locks



Sept. 22, 1964 3,149,487

W. A. MARTIN SERVICING TOOL FOR BARREL-TYPE LOCKS Filed March 11, 1963 VINVENTOR. W/LL /AM A. MART/N ATTORNfY United States Patent 3,149,487SERVIQING TGOL FOR BARREL-TYPE LOCKS W'iiliam A. Martin, Inglewood,Calii, assignor to Chicago Lock Company, Chicago, ill, a corporation ofIllinois Filed Mm. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 264,294 7 Claims. (Cl. 70-394)This invention relates to a tool for servicing barreltype locks,particularly for opening the same, as when the key therefor is lost.

An object of the invention is to provide a lock-servicing tool that, atthe time the same has aligned the lock tumblers so the plug may beturned and the lock opened, assumes a condition in conformation to a keythat would ordinarily open the lock, if available. Accordingly, the toolmay now serve as a master from which a key or keys, to replace the lostkey, may be made.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool as characterizedabove with means enabling, by inspection, to show the tumbler pin codeof the lock that had been opened by the tool.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that arepositive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a workingposition and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture,relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The foregoing objects of the invention are realized in a hand tool that,by its handle, may be manipulated so that a set of tumbler-engagingfingers, conforming to the arrangement of the tumblers of a lock, andwhich are 9 that circumferentially arranged seats in the end of the 2tool and having end shoulders, may, as they move back and forth acrossthe ends of the tumblers, receive the ends thereof under projection oftheir springs. As a result, the tumbler dividing lines gradually becomealigned or in register with the parting line between the barrel and theplug of the lock. Such jiggling movement of the plug and the tumblerseventually results in all of the dividing lines of the tumblers becomingaligned with said parting line, releasing the plug for rotating in thebarrel. The mentioned fingers retract to different endwise positionsaccording to the lengths of the tumblers and they may be locked in suchpositions to provide a pattern for producing a duplicate key or keys.For the latter purpose, the tool provides graduations that serve as acode which may be used for producing such keys.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novelcombinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear inthe course of the following description and which is based on theaccompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and thefollowing description merely describes, one embodiment of the presentinvention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in theseveral views.

FIG. 1 is an end view of a service tool according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof as taken on the plane ofline 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view as taken on the line 33 ofFIG. 2, the tool being shown in operative engagement with a barrel-typelock.

FIG. 4 is a similarly enlarged side elevational view of thelock-engaging end of the tool, showing difierent positions assumed bythe tumbler-engaging means of the tool after a lock-opening operation.

FIG. 5 is a similar view of the end of a key that opens the lock towhich the tool has been applied, the latter view being here used forcomparative purposes with relation to FIG. 4.

The barrel-type lock 10 shown in FIG. 2 conventionally comprises abarrel 11 in which is disposed a rotational plug 12 that has a pilot end13 that fits within an end bore 14 of a key 15 (FIG. 5). The barrel 11has an end bore 16, the same and the plug end 13 defining an annularspace into which the key 15 may be entered. A lug 17 on the key engagesthe outer end face of the lock barrel. A key 18 in the bore 14 of thekey 15 engages a key slot 19 in the plug end 13. Therefore, if the plugis free to turn in the barrel 11, the key 15 will turn it. The lock isprovided with a complement of tumblers 20 that keep the plug fromturning unless the dividing lines 21 of all the tumblers are alignedwith the parting line 22 between the barrel and plug of the lock. Since,in practice, there are seven tumblers 29 in the lock, and most or all ofthem have their dividing lines 21 diiferently located relative to theouter ends of the tumblers, the same must be depressed differentdistances against the bias of tumbler-projecting springs 23 to bring allof the tumbler-dividing lines 21 in register with the parting line 22.Only then can the plug 12 be turned because one section of each tumbleris wholly in the barrel 11 and the other section Wholly in the plug 12.The key 15, shown in FIG. 5, is provided with a set of shoulders 24 ofdifferent lengths, accordingly. Thus, when the key is inserted in thelock as rotationally oriented by the key 18 in the keyway 19 of theplug, said shoulders 24 depress the pins different distances to bringall of the pin-dividing lines 21 in register with the parting line 22.Thus, the key may be turned to turn the lock plug 12. The present toolembodies means to duplicate the locations of the shoulders 24 in the endof the tool for the dual purpose of opening the lock and providing ameans for enabling duplication of a key to open said lock.

The tool that is illustrated comprises, generally, an elongated body 25,a handle 26 at one end of said body for manipulating the same, a set oftumbler-engaging fingers 27 arranged longitudinally around the outersurface of the body and conforming to the arrangement of the tumblers ofa lock 10 to be serviced by the tool means 28 carried by the body toimpose light frictional drag on the fingers 27, adjustable means 29 tovary the flexure tension of the fingers according to the requirements ofthe lock to be serviced, and means 29a to lock the fingers 27 in thedifierent retracted positions assumed thereby during operativeengagement with a lock to bring alignment of the tumbler dividing lines21 and the barrel and plug parting lines.

The body 25 is shown as a round-sectioned rod 39 that has the knob-likehandle 26 at one end and, at the opposite end, is provided with a blindbore 31 that defines an annulus 32 of a diametral size similar to thesize of the key end, as in FIG. 5. For a seven-tumbler lock, said rod isprovided with seven longitudinal splines 33 circumferentially spacedaccording to the circumferential spacing of the tumblers 20 of lock 10.An eighth spline 34 is aligned with a key 35 in the bore 31, a set ofuniormly spaced seats 36 in the rod 39 opening in said spline 34-.Spaced from the end of the rod 30 that has the bore 31, is provided acollar 37 that closes over the splines 33. Said collar is locatedrelative to the rod end, the same distance that the lug 17 is spacedfrom the end of key 15, said collar serving the same purpose as saidlug.

As can best be seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the end of the annulus 32 isprovided with shoulders 38 that are all alike and are spaced from theend of the annulus a distance at least as great and preferably greaterthan the shoulder 24 of the key 15 that is farthest spaced from the endof said key. As can be seen, the shoulders 38 form the ends amass? 3 ofseats 3? into which the outer ends of tumblers 2i) enter when theannular end 32 of the rod is inserted in the lock, as limited by thecollar 37.

The fingers 27, one. in. each spline 33, are preferably ofrectangularcross-section of a size to freely slide along said splines.The forward ends of the fingers extend through the bore in collar 37.The rearward ends are formed as handles 40 to facilitate return of thefingers to their maximum projected position, i.e., with the ends thereofflush with the end of the annulus 32. Said fingers are flexible, asindicated in FIG. 2.

The means 28 is shown as a ring of rubber or rubberlike material that islocated in a transverse groove 41 spaced rearwardly from the collar 37,said ring having an outer diameter materially larger than the diameterof rod 39, as may be seen in H68. 2 and 3. Whether ring 28 is endless ormade up of a length of round-sectioned rubber, the same is arranged tobe beneath the fingers 27 which, therefore, are flexed outwardly afterpassage through collar 37 in a rearward direction. It will be clear thatsaid ring imposes a light drag on said fingers, especially since thesame are flexed back into the splines 33 by the means 29, the dragfriction being varied according to the location, along the rod 39 ofsaid means 2?.

In this case, the means 29 is shown as a collar 42 slidingly fitted onthe rod 36 and through the inner diameter of which the rearward ends ofthe fingers are passed. It will be seen that the fingers are bowed outdue to their engagement over the ring 28. Spring detent means 43 havinga retractable locking pin 44 is carried by collar 42 so the pin 44extends in a radial direction for engagement in both spline 34 and aselected seat 36. When projected, as shown, the pin 44 locks the means2% in adjusted position along the rod 30 to vary the fiexure tension ofthe fingers, and when retracted, said pin still retains engagement withthe spline 34, thereby retaining the collar 42 against rotation relativeto said rod 3% so that the means 29a remain radially oriented with thefingers 27 locked thereby.

Said means 29a are shown as a set of screws 45 that are arranged toimpinge on the fingers and are threadedly engaged in radial seats in thecollar 42. Manipulating handles 46 on the ends of said screws providefor manual loosening or tightening of the screws to release or unlockthe fingers.

Operation The fingers 27 are first all slid toward the forward end ofthe tool and care is taken that the screws 45 of the means 29a areloosened. The adjustment of the tension of the fingers 27 cannot alwaysbe initially determined and a change of adjustment of the means 29 maybe required before the tool will successfully open the lock. In anycase, the forward end of the tool is entered into the lock, as limitedby the collar 37. During such introduction of the tool end, the ends ofthe fingers 27 will engage against and inwardly depress the tumblersagainst the bias of their respective springs 23. In all cases, thefiexure tension of the fingers will cause them to resist retraction,thereby causing the finger ends to fully compress said springs 23. If,by withdrawing the tool. from the lock and inspecting the finger ends,it is seen that the same are materially retracted, the means 29 isshifted forwardly to increase the flexure tension. The tool is againapplied and is ready for tumbler-releasing manipulation when it is seenthat all of the tumblers have been depressed to bring the dividing lines21 thereof beyond the parting line 22 between the barrel and plug of thelock.

Now, the handle 26 is used for oscillating the tool body 25 to cause theseats 39 in the annulus 32 to move back and forth across the ends of thetumblers. This movement is of the jiggling type and sets up intermittentreleasing movement on the ends of the tumblers that are carried by thelock plug 12. As a result, the bias of the springs 23 becomes effectiveto project the tumblers in an outward direction and, by pressing on theends of the fingers 27, slides the same rearwardly even though lightlyfrictionally resisted by the ring 28.

The retractive movement of the tumblers is quite slow, but graduallyfirst one, then another and finally all of the tumblers will becomeretracted until their dividing lines 21 are all aligned with the partingline, freeing the plug 12 for turning by the tool. The tumblers releasein order, those with the shortest tumbler ends on the plug first. When atumbler reaches release position, the end thereof carried by the lockplug, during the jiggling movement, wipes across the end of the innertumbler section. Thus, the latter tumbler end is held retracted by theinner face of the plug 12 at the parting line 21. As a consequence, saidinner tumbler end cannot advance and waits at lock-releasing positionuntil all of the other tumblers have achieved lock-releasing position.

Since, when the lock opens, the ends of the fingers 27 have retractedpositions that, respectively, have the same relationship to the end ofthe tool body as have the shoulders 24 relative to the end of key 15,the tool now conforms to the key. By taking up on the means 29a, thescrews 45 lock the fingers27 in this position. Hence,v the tool' may nowserve as a pattern for producing a duplicate key or keys. In any case,the graduations 47 (FiG. 4) show the finger end relationship to the endof the tool body 25. These graduations show the code which may be usedfor cutting additional keys. FIG. 4 shows four of the seven fingers, thepositions of which show that the code numbers thereof, from the bottomup, are 2, 6, 4 and 2.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is nowcontemplated to the best mode of carrying out the invention, theconstruction is, of course, subject to modification without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desiredto restrict the invention to the particular form of constructionillustrated and described, but to cover all modifications. that may fallwithin the scope of the appended claims.

Having. thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

l. A servicing tool for barrel-type locks that have a set ofcircumferentially arranged spring-urged tumblers that lock to andrelease the plug from the barrel thereof, said tool comprising (a) anelongated body with an annular end for keying engagement with the lockbarrel,

(b) a set of longitudinal splines in the body,

(0) a set of fingers slidably mounted in said splines with their endsdirected toward the end edge of the annular body end for engagement withthe ends of the lock tumblers, and

(d) a friction ring carried by the body and over which the fingers arebowed during retractive movement of said fingers under bias of thespring-urged tumblers.

2. A servicing tool for barrel-type locks that have a set ofcircumferentially arranged spring-urged tumblers that lock to andrelease the plug from the barrel thereof, said tool comprising (a) anelongated body with an annular end for keying engagement with the lockbarrel,

(b) a set of longitudinal splines in the body,

(c) a set of fingers slidably mounted in said splines with their endsdirected toward the end edge of the annular body end for engagement withthe ends of the lock tumblers,

(d) a friction ring carried by the body and overwhich the fingers arebowed during retractive movement of said fingers under bias of thespring-urged tumblers, and

(e) adjustable means carried by the body to lock the fingers againstsliding movement in the splines of the body.

3. A servicing tool for barrel-type locks that have a set ofcircumferentially arranged spring-urged tumblers that lock to andrelease the plug from the barrel thereof, said tool comprising (a) anelongated body with an annular end for keying engagement with the lockbarrel,

(b) a set of longitudinal splines in the body,

(c) a set of fingers slidably mounted in said splines with their endsdirected toward the end edge of the annular body end for engagement withthe ends of the lock tumblers,

(d) a friction ring carried by the body and over which the fingers arebowed during retractive movement of said fingers under bias of thespring-urged tumblers, and

(e) a fixed collar around said annular end and through the bore of whichthe fingers extend, said collar being longitudinally spaced from the endface of the body.

4. A servicing tool for barrel-type locks that have a set ofcircumferentially arranged spring-urged tumblers that lock to andrelease the plug from the barrel thereof, said tool comprising (a) anelongated body with an annular end for keying engagement with the lockbarrel,

(b) a set of longitudinal splines in the body,

(c) a set of fingers slidably mounted in said splines with their endsdirected toward the end edge of the annular body end for engagement withthe ends of the lock tumblers,

(d) a friction ring carried by the body and over which the fingers arebowed during retractive movement of said fingers under bias of thespring-urged tumblers,

(e) a fixed collar around said annular end and through the bore of whichthe fingers extend, said collar being longitudinally spaced from the endface of the body, and

(f) adjustable means carried by the body to lock the fingers againstsliding movement in the splines of the body.

5. In a servicing tool for barrel-type locks that have spring-urgedtumblers to lock to and release the plug from the barrel thereof,

(a) An elongated body,

(b) a flexible finger mounted on said body with an end thereof directedtoward the end of one of the lock tumblers and retractively slidableunder bias of the tumbler when the body is in key engagement with thelock,

(c) means to hold spaced portions of the finger in sliding engagementwith the body, and

(d) a friction member interposed between the tool body and the fingerintermediate said finger-holding means.

6. In a servicing tool for barrel-type locks that have spring-urgedtumblers to lock to and release the plug from the barrel thereof,

(a) an elongated body,

(17) a flexible finger mounted on said body with an end thereof directedtoward the end of one of the lock tumblers and retractively slidableunder bias of the tumbler when the body is in key engagement with thelock,

(0) means to hold spaced portions of the finger in sliding engagementwith the body, and

(d) a friction member interposed between the tool body and the fingerintermediate said finger-holding means,

(e) said body having a longitudinal spline therein and the finger beingslidingly engaged in said spline.

7, In a servicing tool for barrel-type locks that have spring-urgedtumblers to lock to and release the plug from the barrel thereof,

(a) an elongated body,

([2) a flexible finger mounted on said body with an end thereof directedtoward the end of one of the lock tumblers and retractively slidableunder bias of the tumbler when the body is in key engagement with thelock,

(0) means to hold spaced portions of the finger in sliding engagementwith the body,

(d) a friction member interposed between the tool body and the fingerintermediate said finger-holding means,

(2) said body having a longitudinal spline therein and the finger beingslidingly engaged in said spline, and

(f) adjustable means to releasably lock to the body the end of theflexible finger that is remote from the lockengaging end of the body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,059,376 Lombardo Nov. 3, 1936 2,070,342 Tarrie Feb. 9, 1937 2,655,808Wilson Oct. 20, I953

6. IN A SERVING TOOL FOR BARREL-TYPE LOCKS THAT HAVE SPRING-URGEDTUMBLERS TO LOCK TO AND RELEASE THE PLUG FROM THE BARREL THEREOF, (A) ANELONGATED BODY, (B) A FLEXIBLE FINGER MOUNTED ON SAID BODY WITH AN ENDTHEREOF DIRECTED TOWARD THE END OF ONE OF THE LOCK TUMBLERS ANDRETRACTIVELY SLIDABLE UNDER BIAS OF THE TUMBLER WHEN THE BODY IS IN KEYENGAGEMENT WITH THE LOCK, (C) MEANS TO HOLD SPACED PORTIONS OF THEFINGER IN SLIDING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BODY, AND (D) A FRICTION MEMBERINTERPOSED BETWEEN THE TOOL BODY AND THE FINGER INTERMEDIATE SAIDFINGER-HOLDING MEANS, (E) SAID BODY HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SPLINE THEREINAND THE FINGER BEING SLIDINGLY ENGAGED IN SAID SPLINE.